NameCensus.

UK surname

Tomlins

An English surname derived from a medieval diminutive form of the given name Thomas.

In the 1881 census there were 601 people recorded with the Tomlins surname, ranking it #5,826 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 692, ranked #7,773, down from #5,826 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Westbury, Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forest of Dean, Shropshire and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Tomlins is 826 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 15.1%.

1881 census count

601

Ranked #5,826

Modern count

692

2016, ranked #7,773

Peak year

1911

826 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Tomlins had 601 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,826 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 692 in 2016, ranked #7,773.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 826 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Tomlins surname distribution map

The map shows where the Tomlins surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Tomlins surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Tomlins over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 424 #5,760
1861 historical 356 #7,171
1881 historical 601 #5,826
1891 historical 647 #5,998
1901 historical 779 #5,767
1911 historical 826 #5,343
1997 modern 748 #6,898
1998 modern 787 #6,846
1999 modern 784 #6,912
2000 modern 783 #6,891
2001 modern 772 #6,831
2002 modern 793 #6,825
2003 modern 750 #7,018
2004 modern 750 #7,015
2005 modern 717 #7,188
2006 modern 731 #7,126
2007 modern 730 #7,213
2008 modern 729 #7,260
2009 modern 727 #7,414
2010 modern 732 #7,518
2011 modern 738 #7,405
2012 modern 709 #7,534
2013 modern 725 #7,535
2014 modern 710 #7,687
2015 modern 707 #7,661
2016 modern 692 #7,773

Geography

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Where Tomlins' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Westbury, Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, London parishes, Newland (Bream, Clearwell, Newland, Coleford), West Dean and Shrewsbury St Alkmond, St Julian, St Mary (pt), Meole Brace. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Forest of Dean, Shropshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Cheshire West and Chester and Stroud. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Westbury Shropshire
2 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
3 London parishes London 1
4 Newland (Bream, Clearwell, Newland, Coleford), West Dean Monmouthshire
5 Shrewsbury St Alkmond, St Julian, St Mary (pt), Meole Brace Shropshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forest of Dean 007 Forest of Dean
2 Shropshire 014 Shropshire
3 Rhondda Cynon Taf 029 Rhondda Cynon Taf
4 Cheshire West and Chester 043 Cheshire West and Chester
5 Stroud 001 Stroud

Forenames

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First names often paired with Tomlins

These lists show first names that appear often with the Tomlins surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Tomlins

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Tomlins, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Tomlins surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Tomlins household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Tomlins is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Tomlins is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Tomlins falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Tomlins is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Tomlins, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Tomlins

The surname Tomlins originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from an Old English personal name "Tomlin", which itself is a diminutive form of the name Thomas. This name was likely first adopted as a hereditary surname by someone who was the son or descendant of a man named Tomlin.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Tomlins appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John Tomlins is listed. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to a William Tomelyn in Suffolk. These early spellings suggest the name was initially more commonly rendered as Tomelyn or Tomelyne before evolving into its modern form.

In the 16th century, the Tomlins surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire in southwest England. Several place names in this region, such as Tomlins Farm in Gloucestershire and Tomlins Close in Somerset, likely originated from families bearing this surname living in those localities.

One notable early bearer of the Tomlins name was John Tomlins (c.1604-1672), an English Puritan clergyman who served as rector of Salisbury Cathedral from 1644 to 1672. Another early Tomlins of note was Robert Tomlins (c.1542-1604), a wealthy merchant and alderman of the City of London.

In the 18th century, Richard Tomlins (1721-1795) was a prominent English lawyer and legal writer who published several influential works on English law and legal history. His contemporary, Jacob Tomlins (1744-1799), was an English Baptist minister and religious writer.

Later figures include Frederick Guest Tomlins (1808-1888), an English painter known for his landscapes and coastal scenes, and Alfred Tomlins (1870-1944), a British trade unionist and Labour politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1922 to 1931.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Tomlins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Tomlins surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Shropshire leads with 156 Tomlins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 30.80x.

County Total Index
Shropshire 156 30.80x
Middlesex 85 1.45x
Surrey 63 2.21x
Warwickshire 37 2.50x
Gloucestershire 35 3.04x
Hampshire 35 2.91x
Staffordshire 29 1.47x
Lancashire 28 0.40x
Worcestershire 25 3.27x
Oxfordshire 20 5.52x
Berkshire 11 2.50x
Hertfordshire 10 2.47x
Kent 10 0.50x
Yorkshire 9 0.15x
Derbyshire 6 0.65x
Leicestershire 5 0.77x
Merionethshire 5 4.66x
Devon 4 0.33x
Montgomeryshire 4 2.98x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.51x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.85x
Cheshire 3 0.23x
Lanarkshire 3 0.16x
Sussex 3 0.30x
Carmarthenshire 2 0.81x
Essex 2 0.17x
Bedfordshire 1 0.33x
Channel Islands 1 0.58x
Monmouthshire 1 0.24x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.54x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Westbury in Shropshire leads with 31 Tomlins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1187.74x.

Place Total Index
Westbury 31 1187.74x
Hammersmith London 21 14.54x
Aston 19 4.67x
Bletchington 19 1570.25x
Shrewsbury St Julian 18 143.66x
Alverstoke 17 39.08x
Bermondsey 16 9.17x
Camberwell 16 4.27x
Rotherhithe 15 20.71x
Meole Brace 14 534.35x
Hackney London 13 3.96x
Harrow On The Hill 13 111.02x
Minsterley 13 695.19x
Portsea 12 5.10x
Birmingham 11 2.23x
Newland 11 113.87x
Shrewsbury St Mary 11 55.03x
Bushey 10 103.95x
Shrewsbury St Alkmond 10 355.87x
Moss Side 9 24.58x
Hanley Castle 8 174.67x
Islington London 8 1.41x
Wem 8 106.24x
Whitchurch 8 441.99x
Wistanstow 8 487.80x
Bromley London 7 5.43x
Bury 7 8.81x
Dawley 7 37.98x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 7 33.27x
Hempstead 7 496.45x
Deptford St Paul 6 3.89x
Harborne 6 9.46x
Leighton 6 1000.00x
Litchurch 6 16.24x
Tipton 6 9.90x
Uxbridge 6 89.55x
Wolverhampton 6 3.94x
Ashby De La Zouch 5 33.18x
Chorlton On Medlock 5 4.52x
Gloucester St John Baptist 5 67.29x
Pontesbury 5 81.17x
Portsmouth 5 18.07x
Towyn 5 74.07x
West Bromwich 5 4.41x
Kerry 4 99.01x
Levenshulme 4 55.87x
Limehouse London 4 6.22x
Lingfield 4 71.81x
Shoreditch London 4 1.57x
Shrewsbury St Chad 4 22.50x
Worcester Blockhouse 4 95.24x
Berrington 3 151.52x
Dawlish 3 32.97x
Hamilton 3 5.67x
Mile End Old Town 3 3.24x
Pershore St Andrew 3 71.09x
Radford 3 7.47x
Sculcoates 3 3.26x
Sutton 3 14.51x
Wandsworth 3 5.32x
Warwick St Nicholas 3 27.68x
Acton Burnell 2 303.03x
Baschurch 2 57.64x
Bengeworth 2 76.05x
Bristol St James St Paul 2 5.22x
Chichester St Pancras 2 67.80x
Condover 2 56.02x
Dover St Mary Virgin 2 10.33x
Edgbaston 2 4.36x
Handsworth 2 4.10x
Lambeth 2 0.39x
Laugharne 2 60.98x
N Lydbury 2 101.52x
Shrewsbury Holy Cross 2 35.78x
St Luke London 2 2.13x
Streatham 2 4.60x
Wavendon 2 102.04x
Wellington 2 7.02x
West Ham 2 0.78x
Wildboarclough 2 434.78x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Tomlins surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 30
Elizabeth 29
Sarah 19
Jane 14
Alice 13
Annie 12
Emma 10
Ellen 9
Martha 9
Caroline 8
Ann 7
Emily 7
Eliza 6
Hannah 6
Margaret 6
Lucy 5
Maria 5
Harriet 4
Kate 4
Anne 3
Catherine 3
Charlotte 3
Edith 3
Fanny 3
Florence 3
Louisa 3
Susan 3
Ada 2
Amelia 2
Anna 2
Clara 2
Elizth. 2
Esther 2
Harriett 2
Henrietta 2
Lilly 2
Minnie 2
Rosa 2
Rose 2
Agnes 1
Amy 1
Angela 1
Augusta 1
Bertha 1
Betsy 1
Cora 1
Isabella 1
Janet 1
Jannetter 1
Julia 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Tomlins surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 38
William 35
Thomas 21
Henry 20
James 18
George 17
Charles 15
Richard 15
Edward 10
Arthur 7
Frederick 6
Albert 5
Harry 5
Samuel 5
Walter 5
Alfred 4
Ernest 4
Joseph 4
Robert 4
Francis 3
Percy 3
Willm. 3
Augustus 2
Cornelius 2
Edwin 2
Frank 2
Fredk. 2
Herbert 2
Humphrey 2
Thos. 2
Timothy 2
Aron 1
Cyril 1
David 1
Dick 1
Earnest 1
Edmund 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Harvey 1
Jessie 1
Labourn 1
Mark 1
Matthew 1
Oliver 1
Pelham 1
Phebe 1
Philip 1
Richd. 1
Wm.Chas. 1

FAQ

Tomlins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Tomlins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 601 people were recorded with the Tomlins surname. That placed it at #5,826 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Tomlins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 692 in 2016. That gives Tomlins a modern rank of #7,773.

What does the Tomlins surname mean?

An English surname derived from a medieval diminutive form of the given name Thomas.

What does the Tomlins map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Tomlins bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.